I stood a little distance away. I was feeling quite overwhelmed by the experience and I needed my own space for a moment. As I scanned the field my eyes fell on the history teacher and the girls that trailed behind. The history teacher, a passionate and knowledgable colleague of mine, was profoundly rooted in the moment. As she stood in the trenches 50 metres away from the German Front Line she was giving the best history lesson of her life. The students that were travelling with us hung off every word she said. She leaned in against the grassy mound showing them how the soldiers would position themselves for battle. Young men not much older then them preparing to die.

The Battle of Fromelles took place in 1916. On the first day of battle there was over 60,000 casualties. If you read this in a text book you might say ‘Gee that is a lot’, but as you drive past cemetery after cemetery you realise what 60,000 actually means. We stopped at the Australian Mass Grave at Phesant Wood where we located the grave of the Great Uncle of one of our students. We prayed in this cemetery holding a small ceremony for those that gave their lives for our country. Each student and teacher found a gravestone to place a poppy and an Australian flag. We will all remember those soldiers names for as long as we lived.

Fast forward a few days…

The language school was in Rouen just past the dungeon where Joan of Arc was held captive. We stopped for some eclairs. The girls ordered in French as we gaped at the vibrant colours filling the glass cabinet before us. They were crunchy, creamy and delicious. I walked the girls to the language school waving goodbye as they entered the large red doors to begin their lessons. I had some time before I had to meet the art students so I wandered down to the Joan of Arc Cathedral and stood in the place she was said to have been burnt at the stake. The enormity of the history within this medieval town left me breathless. Realising I had lost track of time I power-walked to the Rouen Cathedral entering the building directly opposite. The art students were just finishing their life drawings and were ready to show the history students and teachers their art from the last two days. I looked out the window of the studio at the cathedral. This is where Monet stood and painted and here my students were having the same experience. After admiring their works, I returned to the language school to check on the others during their lunch break. They were cooking crepes with students from Belgium as they conversed in French. The smile on their faces said it all.

The clouds drifted over a blue sky creating the perfect backdrop for the small little cottage in our view. The garden was pulsing with life. Sunflowers rose above my head, bumble bees buzzed between the many blossoms and the stream gently trickled by. We sat on wooden benches and took out our watercolours and visual arts diaries. This was my first ever watercolour and I was going to get it right! The art students gave me advice noting techniques and brush strokes. The joy in that moment was palpable. Painting in Monet’s Garden is an experience I will never forget.

We travelled from Sydney to France with fifteen art, language and history students from year 10 and 11 and three teachers. Over 14 days we travelled to the Somme, the Western Front of Ypres in Belgium, Rouen, to the site of the D-Day landings in Normandy, Bayeux, and finished off in Paris. As I took in the twinkling lights of Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower I was struck by all I had learnt over the previous two weeks. I know the girls we had travelled with had learnt a great deal too. For many of them it was their first time overseas or even away from their parents for such a long time.

We as educators need to create as many of these opportunities for our students as we can. We need to advocate for these types of experiences because they are invaluable. You cannot learn what we learnt about Australian History from a textbook. You cannot learn what we learnt about art from a the internet. You cannot master a language like our students did in a classroom.​I know overseas trips are not always possible, but sometimes it is as simple as walking out the school gate. Don’t let the walls of your classroom define the space in which your teach. Define your own space and create your own experiences… because experience is the most powerful pedagogy there is.

This character wall is my favourite feature of my physical classroom. Some of the pictures on this wall have been with me for over 10 years now and I feel I am still learning about the people in the photographs. You see, my character wall is a source of inspiration for in-depth characters, playbuilding, compositions and creative writing in my class. Over the years I have seen these images come to life and each time I am able to glimpse briefly into the world in which they live. Occasionally I add different photos to the mix and it surprises me how quickly the kids notice our new visitors.

The photos consist of people of various age, gender, socio-economic status and cultures. You can do it the old school way (cut and laminate) or make a board on Pinterest for the digital classroom. Students love it as it pushes them to think outside teenage stereotypes and assists them in conceiving complex characters. Character wallshave a place in the English classroom, the Geography classroom (an opportunity to write about different cultures), the History or Science classroom (think anthropology) or even a primary school setting.

Puppetry is one of the most beautiful forms of theatre and one of the most freeing. It is the art of giving an inanimate object life. When I taught Year 8 Drama I always used puppetry as my first playbuilding unit. It was a safe medium for my kids. They could hide behind their puppet, but still have a voice. They were able to play without the fear of failing. It is less confronting then standing directly in front of an audience and it is a perfect stepping stone to build presentation skills.

Puppetry is also transformational. It is not limited to realistic characters. You can be anything... a mythical being, talking tree, a beautiful animal. This means the possibilities for creative expression are endless.

For students with special needs puppetry can be an incredible medium for releasing their voices and creative potential. Students with physical disabilities become less vulnerable. Students with Asperger’s syndrome, autism and even anxiety find safety in the puppet and can really excel on stage as a result. ESL or language impaired students could use a silent form of puppetry such as shadow puppetry to voice their ideas without the pressure of performing vocally. It is an all-inclusive, highly accessible form of theatre making it the perfect tool for the classroom.

I encourage all teachers to try puppetry in their classes to give their students a creative voice. I am using shadow puppetry in Religion at the moment to bring the Parable of the Sower to life. You could use mechanical puppets in Science to present research on a particular topic or conduct an experiment. Employ hand puppets to have a global summit on climate change or utilise one of the many puppetry apps to interview historical characters about their contribution to society. Puppetry would also be a great unit to introduce the elements of dramatic narrative in English.

The students in my class are currently using the PuppetPal app to work on their vocal skills in Drama and explore the structure of a narrative. The kids love it and they must work collaboratively to complete the task. Puppet Pals 2 also has a lot of historical characters to choose from. It would be a great tool for English, Languages, History and Cultural Studies.

Comic Life allows students to apply/demonstrate their understanding of content through visuals and text. It is an excellent tool for expanding on visual literacy. In this video students are creating comics which show their understanding of tension as an element of drama. I also use it for storyboarding in my film unit and as an alternative formative assessment tool. It would also be a fantastic resource in Language classes, Religious Education (to pull apart scripture passages), History and English. Most importantly, the kids love creating their own comics!